Once Upon a Castle - Jill Gregory [92]
As if regretting his earlier lapse, his touch gentled. When she closed her eyes, he kissed her again, lingering over her lips. His voice, when at last he spoke, was rough. “There is still time to change your mind, Felicity. I’ll understand if you walk away. I won’t hold you.” A lie, he knew. He would beg, even crawl, to have her. But he would not hold her against her will. He was determined to fight the needs that cried for release, if she but said a single word of refusal.
She took a deep breath. “I won’t go, Gareth.” Standing on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to his lips. “I can’t. I’ve tried to deny what I feel. But I know now that we were fated to meet and to love. Oh, Gareth, hold me. Love me.”
The shimmering haze of heat seemed to envelop them until she was blinded by it. They came together in a blaze of passion, mouth meeting mouth, bodies pressed so closely together that each could feel the wildly beating pulse of the other.
He brushed soft, nibbling kisses across her forehead, her eyelids, her cheek, the tip of her nose. With each gentle touch, she gave herself up to his ministrations and relaxed in his arms. His mouth moved over hers, and her lips parted for him, allowing his tongue to tangle with hers.
“Soft,” he murmured. “You’re so soft. I’d nearly forgotten…”
His lips traced her jaw, across her cheek to her ear, where he tugged on her lobe before darting his tongue inside, causing her heart to beat faster still. All the while his hands moved over her, igniting little fires of their own.
His hands closed around her waist, and he lifted her effortlessly off her feet. Suddenly reminded of another time he’d caught and held her like this, the touch of his lips stilled on hers. He lifted his head, and his eyes narrowed in furious remembrance. “When I think of what almost happened on the stairs…”
“Hush, Gareth. We won’t think about it now, love.” She touched a finger to his lips.
Love. At her unexpected endearment, he caught her hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. “Aye, we’ll not speak. I’ll show you without words how I love you.”
How I love you. His words brought a rush of feeling unlike anything she’d ever known. He loved her. The truth was, she loved him too. Desperately.
With exquisite tenderness he brought his lips to her throat and ran hot, moist kisses across her shoulder, then lower, to her collarbone, then lower still, until he encountered the swell of her breast. The bodice of her gown grew wet with his kisses until, consumed with heat, they dropped to their knees in the damp grass. But nothing would cool the blazing heat between them.
“God in heaven, Felicity. What have you done to me?” He caught her hand and placed it over his heart. It was beating as wildly as her own.
The darkened sky was awash with millions of twinkling diamonds. The high, clear notes of a muted violin were carried on the breeze. The air was perfumed with the first blooms of early spring blossoms, though a day before there had been only a hint of buds. It was as though the whole world had burst into bloom because of their feelings for each other.
With great care he undressed her, watching as the silk gown fell away, revealing a delicate chemise. His fingers were strong and sure as he reached for the ribbons, and then it, too, was discarded.
“Oh, my love, how beautiful you are.” His fingers skimmed her skin, and he watched as her eyes darkened with passion before he bent his head to taste her.
That first glimpse on the night she’d arrived at Falcon’s Lair hadn’t prepared him for this. She was the most perfect creature he’d ever seen. With mouth and fingertips he began to explore, lingering over her mouth, her jaw, the sensitive hollow between her neck and shoulder.
He was leading her to new places where she had never been. But though she felt shy and awkward and would have resisted any other, she knew she could trust Gareth. She gave herself up to the pleasure as she sighed and moved in his arms.
His lips and fingertips moved lower. He felt her body grow tense, her breathing shallow. He wouldn